He Is Risen: Come See the Empty Tomb

The resurrection stands at the center of Christian faith and salvation. Scripture places the empty tomb at dawn on the first day of the week where two women arrive expecting a corpse but find an earthquake, an angel, and a rolled-away stone. An angel descends, sits on the stone, and declares, “He is not here, for he has risen,” inviting witnesses to inspect the linen wrappings and see the physical evidence. The narrative presses the historic reality of a bodily, public rising that vindicates the atoning work on the cross and demonstrates God’s sovereignty over death.

Matthew’s account emphasizes creation’s convulsion at the cross and at the resurrection: the earth shakes, an angel appears with lightning-like brightness, and Roman guards fall as if dead. Those dramatic signs intend not to free Jesus but to admit witnesses into the truth of his triumph. The risen Lord meets his people, allows touch, eats food, and displays his wounds—demonstrating a transformed yet tangible bodily life that continues relationship and mission. Scripture links that vindication directly to justification: God raises the Son as proof that the penalty for sin stood paid.

The resurrection issues a commission and a promise. The angel commands the women to go quickly and tell the disciples that Jesus goes before them into Galilee, signaling ongoing presence and future encounter rather than abandonment. The empty tomb, eyewitness appearances, and the disciples’ later witness form historical foundation and pastoral assurance: believers receive the same Spirit who raised Christ and can expect life beyond death. The narrative culminates in a pastoral summons to respond—examine the evidence, confess Jesus as Lord, embrace repentance and faith—and to proclaim the death and resurrection in the Lord’s Supper until his return. The risen Christ greets fear with “Do not be afraid,” converts sorrow into rejoicing, adopts former deserters as brothers, and makes the grave a defeated battleground that reorients hope and mission.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Resurrection is the gospel’s cornerstone The empty tomb proves that God accepted the atoning work on the cross and turns a past sacrifice into present justification. If God raised the Redeemer, then divine justice stands satisfied and forgiveness becomes effective rather than hypothetical. This single historical vindication shapes every claim about sin, salvation, and final judgment. [05:32]
• 2. God displays power at the tomb The earthquake, the angel’s descent, and the guards’ collapse display God overruling earthly forces to reveal a higher reality. Those signs function to draw witnesses into an encounter, not to enable escape, showing that divine action breaks barriers so people can see and respond. Creation itself testifies that death cannot hold the Creator. [29:23]
• 3. Empty tomb demands honest inquiry The angel’s “come see” invites investigation: linen wrappings lay undisturbed, witnesses report tangible appearances, and hostile explanations fail under scrutiny. Historical attestation and multiple witnesses make the resurrection the best-attested event of the era, so doubt invites careful examination rather than dismissal. Honest scrutiny often leads from curiosity to conviction. [50:21]
• 4. Resurrection calls for urgent response The risen Christ commissions witnesses to go quickly and tells frightened followers to rejoice and to claim new identity as brothers. Faith requires concrete confession and repentance, and the same Spirit who raised Jesus guarantees future bodily life for those who believe. The empty tomb turns fear into mission and secures hope for living and dying. [67:58]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:07] - Resurrection: Central Truth
• [17:16] - Luke 24: Women at the Tomb
• [29:23] - Matthew 28: Angel and Earthquake
• [46:35] - “He is not here; He has risen”
• [52:44] - Commission: Go Quickly and Tell
• [67:58] - Invitation, Assurance, Communion

Bible reading
Matthew 28:1–10 (ESV)
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

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Observation questions

1. What supernatural events occurred at the tomb, and how did the guards and the women respond differently?
2. What specific evidence did the angel invite the women to examine, and why was this detail significant? [50:21]
3. What two emotions did the women experience as they left the tomb, and what did they do immediately?
4. How did Jesus refer to his disciples when he gave the message through the women, and why is that surprising? [01:03:09]

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Interpretation questions

1. Why did the angel roll away the stone and sit on it, rather than Jesus simply appearing outside the tomb? What does this action communicate about God’s purpose in the resurrection? [37:55]
2. The angel said, “He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said.” Why was it important for the angel to remind the women of Jesus’ own words? [49:33]
3. Jesus told the women, “Do not be afraid,” both through the angel and in person. Why would the resurrection specifically address fear and replace it with joy and mission?
4. How does the physical, tangible nature of Jesus’ resurrection body—seen in his wounds, his ability to be touched, and his eating food—affect how we understand eternal life? [01:01:15]

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Application questions

1. The resurrection is God’s declaration that the penalty for sin has been fully paid. How does believing this truth change the way you view your past failures or ongoing struggles with sin? [47:39]
2. The angel urged the women to “come and see” the evidence of the resurrection. What honest questions or doubts do you need to bring to God, and what steps can you take to examine the historical evidence for yourself? [50:44]
3. Jesus called his faltering disciples “brothers,” showing grace instead of condemnation. Is there someone in your life you’ve struggled to forgive or accept because of their failures? How can the resurrection empower you to extend grace as Jesus did? [01:03:41]
4. The women left the tomb “quickly” with “fear and great joy” to tell others. What would it look like for you to share the news of the resurrection with urgency and joy this week? [53:38]
5. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in believers. How does this reality give you hope in the face of suffering, weakness, or even the fear of death? [01:04:03]
6. Jesus met the women on the road—they didn’t find him on their own. How have you experienced Jesus coming to you in your doubt, fear, or searching? How can you cultivate a heart that expects to meet him? [01:09:23]
7. The resurrection turns fear into mission and sorrow into joy. What area of your life most needs to be reoriented by the hope of the empty tomb today?